New Advances in Web Hosting
It is obvious that there is a need for every company to have an online presence and the same can be said for those who like to impart information or have technical skills. The growth of web hosting can be seen because of Internet savvy people who like to impart knowledge and market themselves whilst offering music, videos and pictures. The ability to do all of this is created by operating systems, the Web Hosting platforms. There have been recent breakthroughs in Web Hosting and the hosts are always looking to improve their services and provide cutting edge technology to clients.
Web Hosting Platforms – what are they?
What is known as a web hosting platform can generally be describes as an operating system whose primary task is to support the act of Web Hosting. Linux and Windows are the two types of Web Hosting platforms that are seen as the most traditional.
Linux can be seen as the older and standard type of web hosting platform. Linux is seen as very reliable and is able to utilize its disk space and memory effectively. It is said that in excess of 70% of web servers use the Linux / Unix system because it is cheap and has fantastic power and can be relied upon.
Windows – Windows is Microsoft’s answer to Web Hosting and is becoming highly popular with the Web developers with its potential ASP and ASP.NET programming environments. This operating system also integrates very well with the advanced .NET server technologies such as:
* Commerce Server 2002
* Commerce Server 2002
* BizTalk Server 2002
Web Hosting packages used to be bundled with only the minimum features but many of these features are vital to the package and they include:
* Space available on the Disk – Each and every web hosting account contains a finite amount of disk space that can be utilized by a customer to place all their files on. The total size offered on the disk varies by firm and by each individual package. Potential clients should be aware that the disk space offered by a shared web host will be smaller than the space offered by a customized host.
* Email Accounts – The price of the package can have an impact on how many email accounts are made available. These accounts are a feature provided by many hoists and sought after by many clients and some hosts allow their clients to have full control over their mail settings. Of course, some web hosts will do all of this for their client. How each client sets u their email accounts is down to their preference but there are a number of options including POP3, auto-responders, aliases and forwarders.
FTP Access – Another common feature of all the paid hosting accounts is the FTP access. The FTP programs allow the users to upload files, edit and delete the contents on the server much more quickly than using a web-based interface.
Recent Advances in Web Hosting:
With the advancement of technology and companies going global, the requirements of the companies as well as the individuals have changed. The Web Hosts are also committed to deliver the latest and up to date technologies to their customers.
The level of service and technology that is bring offered by technology today, for instance the Windows Server technology and the Windows 2003 Server, is probably at the highest it has ever been. Modern technology ensures there is a tremendous level of support for website developers and they can continue in confidence knowing that Microsoft, a single vendor, is wholly committed to this continual development of technology.
The advances in operating systems in the recent years, especially in the areas of inter-operability, have brought the available feature sets of Windows and Linux based website hosting offerings much closer to each other. Earlier both these operating systems had cut and dry advantages to one over the other for particular applications. These differences have now diminished, thanks to the advancements!to the point where the choice of operating system a hosting service company makes is frequently not a concern to the client. Today, with a few exceptions, as mentioned above, you can often make your choice of hosting packages based on the available feature set and factors concerning the company themselves, rather than the operating system they have chosen.
Web hosting software
The entire web hosting industry has greatly benefited from advances in the development of software for Web Hosting. This new level of software has created a far greater level of effectiveness and efficiency for a huge number of sites. These positive changes have been able to benefit their clients in a number of ways:
* Allowing users to benefit from the automation facility of creating accounts
* Allowing users a better quality of management with regards their dedicated servers
* Automation of monotonous tasks that used to consume the time of system administrators
The company is aided by the software in a number of ways. Automation can reduce the time it takes to provide control and services from hours to minutes and the whole process becomes easier to control.
The Windows dedicated server software are Plesk for Windows, Helm for Windows, Easy Admin Exchange Control Panel, Cold Fusion MX, Anti Virus & Security Software to name a few.
The Linux dedicated server software are centOS Linux, Red Hat Enterprise, cPanel / Web Host Manager, Fantastico De Luxe, Plesk for Linux, Anti Virus Software and Security Software.
Voice over Internet Protocol technology in Web Hosting
The Web Hosting industry is ever growing and coming up with new technologies to serve their customers better. The Web Hosts in the market compete with each other in providing the most up to date and latest technology to the clients. There has been a recent advancement in Voice over Internet Protocol technology in Web Hosting field. The new advancement has enabled anyone with a computer and a broadband Internet connection to communicate worldwide without paying the usual long distance fees.
As this new technology is fairly cheap, many service providers have figured out that VOIP is able to give them an edge and can be seen as a new and innovative addition to their range of services and one which can be implemented with no real trouble. This has led to a surge in VOIP companies who are seeking to find a way into this lucrative market.
Of course, the web hosting industry is always seeking ways to gain an advantage and they are developing an interest in VOIP. A number of the highest ranked hosts have looked into launching VOIP, a telephone service that utilizes VOIP technology and aim to offer this service across the globe.
Launching the provision of the Virtual Rack:
The “virtual rack solution” was created by one popular web host and it offers the benefits of rack solutions to customers who may have as little as two servers running. The chief goal of this product is to enable customers to have 100% customization on their own web hosting.
As soon as the customer is in their private rack, they can choose which servers they would like. There is also the ability for them to select security technologies or advances networks which best suit their needs. This may range from the top of the line firewalls from Cisco ASA or perhaps a load balancer from server iron. However a customer wants their configuration, they can request it from their web host as well as asking for the IP arrangement they would like to receive.
All of these modern changes and progressions will make Web Hosting far better value for money and efficient than it has ever been before. The recent advances and developments are sure to make Web Hosting more efficient and effective. With exceeding customer expectations a vital goal for every firm, the changes in technology will allow many Web Hosts to do just that.
About the author: Gregory Trune is a professional web hosting blogger. Visit WebHostingMadness.com to read his reviews on the top 10 hosting companies each month.
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